The Rogues of Death
by MrLotus
Summary: In a time of peace, Ichigo becomes one to be feared, and ends up on the run. When he is eventually captured, a group of rogues take it upon themselves to rescue him. Showcases a variety of variants to the race of shinigami, and as rogues on the run for similar reasons, they are particularly dangerous soul reapers. Very little romance, and no pairings of original characters
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Rogue**

For years he had risked everything to help out complete strangers. For years he had suffered, fought, lost, and won. For years he faced death everyday it seemed. Yet this was almost a natural aspect of his life. He was Kurosaki Ichigo, and he was a shinigami.

During his first years as a substitute he had helped the organization known as the Gotei Thirteen as they battled against hideous demons called hollows, along with other powerful spiritual creatures. In fact during a few of those wars he excelled beyond what normal shinigami were capable of. Certainly Ichigo was a powerful ally to the Gotei Thirteen, but with power comes a fear of that power, and where there's fear, there is always contempt.

So it was that when it seemed there were no more threats, the shinigami of the Gotei Thirteen began to fear and subsequently despise the substitute. Their irritation soon became a full-blown hate, and in time even his greatest allies, his nakama, turned their zanpakutos on him.

Dusk was rapidly setting in as Ichigo raced down an alley in downtown Tokyo. He had been on the run for weeks, and his pursuers were rapidly catching up to him. He gritted his teeth while glancing down at his representative badge. Could he afford to use it? As it stood, while in his physical body he could at least try and hide from his assailants, but his human body was much weaker and slower than his spiritual form. Though if he were to opt for the boosted abilities he'd gain from using his badge, his body would begin to radiate an unmistakable wave of power, and his enemies would be drawn to him like moths to a flame.

He slumped down against a garbage can as he panted for breath, trying desperately to breath as quietly as he could. He had only been resting for ten seconds when he held his breath at the sound of two feet touching ground not far down the alley. Could he chance a glance? He decided he would see just who was hunting him this time, and if it came to it, he could always rely on the power of the badge at his waist. He glanced out and grimaced. This time the Gotei Thirteen were fighting low, sending out unseated officers knowing full-well Ichigo would not kill them if confronted.

He decided to try and slip away, but as soon as he took a single step away from the shinigami his foot collided with another trash can making a clatter that instantly snagged the attention of the young shinigami. The two faced each other in silence, but then the shinigami hunter did something that brought on a wave of dread for Ichigo, he began to raise his reiatsu.

He knew he could drop this shinigami with little to no effort, but at the same time he refused to prove the Gotei Thirteen right, that he was dangerous enough to warrant a permanent residence in the nest of maggots. He turned to run away, but another unseated shinigami was already barring his path. "Give it up Kurosaki, we know you don't have it in you to fight back, and we have your only avenues of escape blocked. Surrender now." The second shinigami stated as she drew her zanpakuto.

Ichigo cringed, this time he would have no choice but to fight, and reluctantly he grabbed his badge. "Surrender... After all the help I gave your organization, this is the thanks I get?" He asked before placing the badge firmly against his chest.

"You fool, are you really intent on leaving your physical body defenseless? All to prove some crazy point!?" The first shinigami shouted.

Ichigo looked to the shinigami behind him with a hint of sympathy in his eyes. "Surely by now you must remember who you're dealing with." He said coldly. "So believe me when I say, you'll never be able to even touch my body." He continued bitterly while drawing Zangetsu off his back.

The other two shinigami exchanged nervous glances. "Hey didn't the report suggest-" The first shinigami was interrupted by the second.

"-Don't talk about the report in front of him you idiot!" She shouted angrily.

Ichigo glanced back and forth between the two unseated officers. "Hmm, despite any information they may have about me, they aren't eager to face me... I can use this to my advantage." He thought as he narrowed his eyes while a blue glare shined forth. "Hey, in case you forgot, you're both already a little too busy to argue amongst yourselves!" He exclaimed while extending his sword outward. "Believe me when I say that I do not wish to fight you, but also appreciate the fact that I do want to continue living." He continued as he brought his left arm over to his right bicep.

"Hey isn't that how he prepares for-" The first shinigami was interrupted when Ichigo called out.

"Bankai!" He exclaimed instantly filling the two unseated officers with dread.

Meanwhile, across the city a much more powerful shinigami was closely monitoring the flows of reiryoku throughout the city, and she instantly picked up on Ichigo's increase. "Captain, northeast, about three kilometers!" Hinamori Momo called out to a man with long blonde hair.

"Interesting, he's only using bankai, no hollowfication." Hirako Shinji replied with an unsettling grin. While he and Momo were racing toward Ichigo's location, Shinji pulled out a soul pager. "Attention all shinigami of all squads in the northeast Tokyo area, those without the ability to invoke bankai are ordered to withdraw. Leave Kurosaki Ichigo to us!" He exclaimed confidently.

Momo gave him a worried look. "Captain, my bankai is not quite ready for a battle-test, is my assistance required? This is Kurosaki we're talking about." She explained nervously.

"Hinamori if you are unsure of your abilities you wouldn't have agreed to accompany me. Have faith in your own powers." Shinji replied, and just seconds later the two came to a stop in midair at the sight of a black wave of spiritual power forcing back two much weaker shinigami. "That's exactly why I gave the order for retreat." He uttered as he slightly shook his head.

Ichigo didn't struggle much against the two unseated officers, but he winced inwardly when he felt the presence of Shinji up above. Once the unseated officers were on the run, Ichigo focused his attention up at his former mentor. "He's decided not to attack blindly, well at least I can take the opportunity to plan out how I'll get clear of this one." He thought as a scowl intensified on his face.

Ichigo's first thought was to take Hinamori Momo out of the battle entirely, and was confident he could succeed even without the power of his inner hollow. However when he felt more and more high reiatsu waves steadily and quickly heading in his direction, he knew he'd not have much convenience for tactics. "Give it up Ichigo, you may be quite capable, but even you surely have limits." Shinji spoke down.

Ichigo glared up at the vizored. "Shinji, you were once hunted by those bastards yourself, so why would you even think about doing the same to anyone else!?" Ichigo called up just before Abarai Renji appeared down in front, his Zabimaru already in its shikai form.

"Ichigo... Please, stop this foolishness, Captain Kyoraku is willing to just seal your powers and let you live normally from there on out. Just come to your senses." Renji pleaded while holding Zabimaru down low in the most non-threatening way he could manage.

Yet another familiar reiatsu appeared right behind him, and it belonged to the shinigami responsible for just about everything in his life. "Renji is right, Ichigo." Kuchiki Rukia spoke out, and Ichigo glared back at her.

"Why do you all insist I'm a danger? Is it because you fear that I can completely eradicate a soul while in my hollowfied state? You do realize most of the captains are capable of such feats even without having an inner hollow." Ichigo replied angrily.

"What does it matter anyway? It's been years since we last observed a menos grande or had to deal with spiritually powerful humans. Why do you need your power in times of peace?" Renji asked as he took a step forward prompting Ichigo to lift Zangetsu in a defensive stance.

"Why are you all so concerned when I have not even made an attempt at a thought of turning my blade on you?" Ichigo asked in response.

"Because there is no need for you to have such power anymore." Rukia replied calmly.

"Then why aren't any of you going through the same process?" Ichigo replied.

"Because none of us were strong enough to defeat Aizen, but you were." Renji answered.

What Ichigo had failed to realize was throughout their short conversation, Renji and Rukia had been radiating their reiatsu as strongly as they could essentially blinding Ichigo to a surprise attack from Sui Feng when she phased through the wall of one of the buildings lining the alley. There wasn't much that he could do to break free of the binding kidou as he could tell the seal was specially designed for him. "It's over Kurosaki, it's finally over... Too bad you had to resist us every step of the way." The irritable captain stated smugly as she glowered down at the paralyzed Ichigo.

"Look at that, we didn't even need to get involved, your worries were really for nothing this time." Shinji told Momo with a slight hint of disappointment in his voice. "Would have rather seen how far he's come since the days of old." He continued more out of boredom while they watched the others casting more binding kidous on Ichigo.

Little did the shinigami know, there was a very intrigued man watching everything that had happened, and he was less than thrilled at the result. As he stood glaring down at the scene coming to its conclusion, he was approached by a young woman wearing a black shihakusho with a red haori draped over her slender shoulders. "Vector, status?" She asked impatiently.

The man called Vector grunted in disapproval. "The bastard shinigami got to him first. Forgive me ma'am, but I'm not trained for speed, nor am I trained to fight dozens of their seated officers." He replied irritably.

"It's alright Vector, no one is claiming you acted wrong." Another spoke up as he approached the two souls, and like the girl he was adorned with a red haori. "However, we can not afford to lose Ichigo Kurosaki." He continued, and he could hear the girl scoff. "I'm not joking Nami, we need his strength if we hope to survive what will be coming our way." He added on.

"Oh, I'm not confused on the matter, I don't get things twisted, but you're forgetting, the Seireitei is an almost impenetrable fortress, we'll never be able to rescue him." Nami replied irritably.

"Oh contraire little child... The Gotei Thirteen have all but forgotten our existence entirely. The element of surprise is certainly working in our favor, and with the numbers we've amassed we could very well raze the Soul Society to the ground." The man with the red haori replied with a confident smirk. "Just hold out for us brother, we will not be so unkind as to force you to lay down your sword when you wish to keep protecting souls." He continued. "Vector, Nami, we need to prepare for the great rescue mission. We can't let them seal Ichigo's powers away." He uttered before the three vanished under the aid of shunpo.

The three didn't go far, their destination was a large ship off the coast. A large one that shipped large containers of varied merchandise. There they went down the rows of containers until they came to a stop at one that had a skull painted on the doors. Nami knocked three times, waited a second, and knocked four more times before opening the container and closing it again, and finally knocking twice more. When the complex series of knocks was finished, she opened the container and led the two men in.

Inside the container, it was time for the man with the haori to knock on the wall opposite the doors. He knocked twice, and a shuddering jolt could be felt throughout the container as though it had just been set down on a platform. Finally Vector opened the doors, and waiting on the other side was not quite what one would expect. Instead of exiting out onto the deck of the ship, they stepped out onto a pathway lined by two rows of tall stone pillars on either side.

Waiting for the three was an older woman whom was also draped in a red haori. "Welcome back General Yukimura, General Blake, Vector." She stated merrily before a scowl surfaced. "Where is Kurosaki Ichigo?" She asked as she glanced among the group before focusing her gaze on General Blake.

"We weren't fast enough, the shinigami got to him first, and we were just returning to prepare for a rescue mission." General Blake replied in a flat businesslike tone.

The older woman glared at the general before turning away. "You mean to rescue him from... There." She replied as she began to walk prompting the others to follow.

"Well where else would we rescue him from, they won't seal his powers in the world of the living." Nami retorted before catching a glare from General Blake.

"Mind your words young one. Though you may be a general on the council you are still not worthy to speak up on such matters." The old woman growled with a glare. "As for you John, you still have yet to give me a reason to trust you yet, and I still don't feel much comfort in just your word that Ryuji passed his title onto you before he fell to that vasto lordes last month." She continued.

"Ouch." Vector mouthed as he nudged Nami with his elbow.

"I'm aware of that ma'am, but each time I try to prove myself, you refuse while claiming I can't be trusted. I find myself frustrated that I can't do my job as well." John replied defensively.

"That is simply because each time you come asking to prove yourself, you demand I entrust you with just about all of our brethren, and furthermore we don't have many tools at our disposal, should you fail we would lose valuable and irreplaceable equipment." The old woman replied impatiently.

"Well then what else do you suggest!? That we let Ichigo essentially die!?" John shouted. "Look, I realize being American, I'm not high on your list of people to trust, but lady you need to swallow your damn pride and look at the bigger picture, and then maybe you would appreciate how massively important this rescue mission is! General Satoshi, your mentor, knew the value Ichigo could have held for our organization back when he led us, and that was back when the damn shinigami accepted him. Now, he's all alone, and he's in their custody, the situation demands that we act in the strongest way possible." He explained impatiently.

"I thought I told you that you don't give me orders boy." The old woman replied.

"Fine, figure out how to get Ichigo here yourself!" John shouted as he diverted his direction off the path.

"Wait!" Nami called out as she moved after him before Vector held out his arm stopping her.

"Let him go, he needs to cool off before we continue." Vector stated calmly. "General Yamamoto, may we be excused?" He asked the old woman.

"Just go, I too need to calm myself." General Yamamoto replied irritably.

In the Seireitei, Ichigo was imprisoned in the tower of penance. It was by Captain Ukitake's word and the support of Captain Kuchiki that Ichigo was spared his immediate sealing of his powers. While he reflected on the events earlier that evening, he was visited by Abarai Renji. "I'm deeply sorry Ichigo, but the panic your presence was causing was just too great a strain not to do something." He stated as sympathetically as he could. Ichigo remained silent as he held his back to his former ally. "Come on, you have to believe that Rukia and I... We would never do this to you if not for a very important reason." He continued, and once more Ichigo remained silent.

Just as Renji was just about to continue, Rukia had entered the tower as well. "Renji... Ichigo, I don't know what Renji might have told you, but we only did this for you. Being on the run from everyone like you were, showing a willingness to attack unseated officers of any one of the squads... You have to believe us that we had little other choice." She explained as a tear came to her eyes.

Still Ichigo remained silent as he continued to hold his back to them. "Damn it Ichigo, what would you have done if it were me or Rukia!?" Renji shouted, angered by Ichigo's cold shoulder.

Ichigo lifted his head as he gazed out the window at a crescent moon. "I would have died for either of you to escape if only for another day." He finally spoke, his words more painful to the shinigami present than the most powerful arrancar's blade.

Neither Rukia nor Renji could find the words to respond, and ultimately had little other choice but to leave the tower in shame. As the two walked aimlessly down the streets of the Seireitei they couldn't avoid the feeling of crushing guilt. While they weren't in Ichigo's exact position, they knew that he was completely honest about what he would have done in their shoes. "Rukia... Were we wrong?" Renji asked shakily.

Rukia shuddered under Renji's question, but ultimately gave a meek nod. "Do you remember, shortly after we first met him? I was in a bad spot, scheduled to be executed, but Ichigo refused to let it happen... He even went as far as to try and face my brother without having a bankai... All to save me." She explained dismally while tears flooded her eyes.

"Well, the captain has changed a lot since back then, you know, and maybe he can help Ichigo out. I mean if this was any time back when we first met him, your brother would have demanded that he be executed on top of his powers being sealed. This time it was different... He spoke up on Ichigo's behalf, and now they're going to discuss things. We just have to believe that he can get things done in his favor." Renji explained. "Then there's Captain Ukitake as well. He's the head captain's best friend from back when they learned under Yamamoto himself! Maybe he can help influence Captain Kyoraku's decision." Renji stated in a hopeful tone of voice.

It wasn't much of a hope, but it perked Rukia back up, though she was still far from happy with how things were turning out. "Ugh, I just wish there was something more we could do!" She exclaimed in frustration.

"Well there's not much more can be done for him." The two shinigami jerked their heads up at the top of a wall.

"Yachiru, you shouldn't say things like that, there's always a way to help, we just don't see it yet." Renji scolded the young lieutenant.

"Well then why are you standing around here for? If there's a way you can help Ichi, then get it done!" Yachiru exclaimed as she dropped down off the wall.

"Easier said than done, or did you not catch the part where I said we just haven't found a way to help him?" Renji asked.

"No, it's not easier said than done, you're just making it harder than it is to say." Yachiru replied.

"Really then, how would you help him?" Renji asked irritably.

"Well Baldy once told me that when helping a friend you need to think like them, and see their weaknesses and cover them... So if instead you wanted to save someone who's looked at as a bad guy..." Yachiru trailed off as a grin permeated her lips.

"We're trying to help solve the problem, not create more!" Renji barked before Rukia grabbed his arm.

"Renji, you're arguing with a kid... No matter how much she's grown over the past few years, she is still a child." Rukia pointed out.

"I doubt it, living children grow faster true enough, but there's no reason her level of intelligence wouldn't increase as fast as a living child." Renji retorted.

"Well unfortunately there's no way of proving that, and quite frankly, you're embarrassing to be around right now." Rukia replied irritably.

"Glad I could make you guys a little happier!" Yachiru exclaimed as she turned away while she started walking.

"What are you talking about!?" Renji shouted angrily.

"Well you two have been gloomier than a cold rainy night lately, but now you two are yelling at each other just like old times... I cheered you up, and now I need some candy!" Yachiru exclaimed before taking off in a random direction, hopping over a wall completely.

"Huh, maybe you're right, perhaps Yachiru is a little sharper than most give her credit for." Rukia uttered in a dumbfounded tone of voice. "Still she's right, back in the day we would have been quick to figure something out, so what's so difficult about figuring it out now?" She asked as she furrowed her brow in concentration.

Renji thought about it for a moment before he suddenly had an idea. "Well I don't know how to help him, but maybe Ishida does." He replied with a grin.

"Renji that is genius!" Rukia exclaimed. "Just, how are we going to get authorization to use the senkaimon?" She asked, but Renji's grin intensified.

"Your brother... If we can get him to authorize it, I'm sure Ishida will know what to do." Renji continued as he took off with Rukia closely on his heels.

Meanwhile, back at the world on the other side of the ship, John, Nami, and Vector were preparing for an unauthorized mission to break into the Seireitei. "And you guys are sure you're with me on this?" John asked skeptically while he worked on a lock on a container that held all of their tools.

"Yeah for the hundredth time we are with you, just hurry up!" Nami snapped while looking over her shoulder.

"I'm almost... Ah, done!" John exclaimed as he opened the latch. Inside the container were several strange looking devices. John grabbed one that looked like a small cone, and another that was a simple piece of string, but the third item he grabbed he handled as though the tiny square of cloth was made of glass.

"Is that..." Vector trailed off as his eyes focused on the cloth.

"Yes, the shroud of mortality... The perfect piece of equipment for hiding our spiritual signatures." John replied as he gently dabbed his forehead.

"Yeah, your reiatsu just vanished." Nami confirmed with a grin.

"And soon so will his life!" It was General Yamamoto, and she did not look pleased.

John narrowed his eyes on his superior. "Lady, what do you expect us to do? All of us, every last member of our organization is tired of living in this shadow of where we belong. For too long we've been hiding from the shinigami that have mercilessly branded us as too dangerous to let be. Ichigo Kurosaki can change that. You know he is practically the only one of us all that can probably make a difference, but that won't be possible if things continue as they are!" He shouted before drawing a small hand scythe.

"Would you really draw on me? Do you have any idea who I once was back in the Seireitei!?" General Yamamoto asked angrily while she raised her voice.

"I know exactly who you are... Sister of Genryusai Yamamoto." John uttered as he held his ground. "Do you have any idea who I am?" He asked as he cocked an eyebrow in defiance.

"Soul Society, North American territory... You are the grandson of Alexander Blake, the current Master Commander." General Yamamoto replied indifferently. "I know all about your reaper blade, I know of both your ascendance and transcendence, and I know that you are particularly weak in the areas of kidou practice. In fact based on what I know, I can tell you quite frankly that you have no chance of walking out of here alive should you decide to go through with things." She warned as she drew her zanpakuto.

"The Shinigami... The only zanpakuto baring traits of its namesake. I do not fear that blade." John uttered with a confident grin.

"I hold in my possession the only zanpakuto with a sanban kaihou, and you don't fear it? There must be a deformation in your mind." General Yamamoto replied with a chuckle.

"Likewise I hold in my possession quite possibly the most dangerous reaper blade, or are you not taking into account that soul guards are a little less frightened by those stronger than them? Combine that with my exile, and can you honestly say with certainty that you can handle what I'm capable of?" John asked.

"Well then, if you are so confident in your abilities... Subete no tamashi o shukaku, Shinigami!" General Yamamoto called out, and aside from her zanpakuto growing another foot in length, not much was different about the shikai from the sealed form.

John let out a low whistle. "The shikai, first release right? Fail, on so many levels, you'll need nothing short of your sanban kaihou thing to beat me!" He exclaimed as he held up his hand scythe. "Raise hell the world-over, Lucifer!" He cried out, and the hand scythe quickly grew into a full-sized scythe.

Yamamoto was less than impressed. "The great reaper blade itself. Rumored to appear only once every fifty-thousand years... Likewise the almighty Shinigami, a zanpakuto rumored to be just as rare... Would you really see either of these lost once more to time itself?" She asked.

"If you refuse to let me help Ichigo then yes, I would see the Shinigami lost to the ages." John replied just as defiantly. "Yamamoto, come to your senses, you want the Gotei Thirteen to pay just as desperately as we do... Let us do our damn job, and who knows maybe you'll be sipping tea in the court of pure souls by tomorrow evening." He continued before resealing his reaper blade. John was a wise warrior who knew well how to choose the right fights, and while he was confident in his own mastery of the Lucifer, he was also confident in Yamamoto's mastery of her Shinigami.

Yamamoto seemed to have come to the same conclusion as her zanpakuto shortened down to its normal length. "Out of sheer curiosity, let's say I let you go, what is your plan for rescuing Ichigo, those shinigami there aren't exactly slouches despite how nervous they can be. How can you guarantee me that you'll succeed?" She asked as she sheathed her zanpakuto.

"Well the string as you know is used to allow us telepathic communication without a need for specialized kidou, then we have this little guy, I had a feeling it would come in handy as I was escaping a few decades back." John replied as he held up the cone. "It was developed by the research scientists, and can essentially grant temporary hollowfication abilities for everyone who is touching it when it's activated. Unfortunately it's also a single-use tool, but the effects last a little longer than twenty-four hours. Then of course the shroud to conceal our spiritual signatures, again, you can thank me for having a mind to grab this as I was leaving the North American Soul Society." He explained. "The plan is that we go in, all of us will draw attention of the native shinigami and then we give ourselves the rub-down with the shroud while also activating the hollowfy-cone and the mentality thread. After that we head three different directions, and essentially race each other to find Ichigo. We drop all who get in our way." He explained.

"And based on that plan you can see me sipping tea there tomorrow night?" Yamamoto asked skeptically.

"Well if all goes smoothly they'll send their captains our way, we drop them, and we essentially cripple the Gotei Thirteen." John replied.

"My brother will not be so easily beaten... His Ryujin Jakka is a very dangerous zanpakuto in its own right with frightening abilities." Yamamoto replied.

"That's where I come in." Nami replied as she stepped forward. "No fire type zanpakuto can best mine." She continued as she looked over her shoulder at her partner.

"And where does Vector come in in all of this?" Yamamoto asked.

"Ma'am, as someone priding myself on my sense of perception, I will weed out the onmitsukido, and of course their leader, Sui Feng of the second devision. She will be one of the primary threats, and I've studied her abilities back when the shinigami were fighting that Aizen Sosuke." Vector spoke up. "My soul peircer will see to her downfall." He continued as he held out his hand before materializing a spear.

"Hmm, perhaps this would be a decent partnership, two of you are of unknown origin to their order, and as for you Nami, like me your zanpakuto might be more than they can handle." Yamamoto replied with a grin. Now that she gave it a little thought, she was beginning to grow excited by the concept of crushing the shinigami. "Still, take your headsets, and if any of you find yourselves overwhelmed, I want you to summon us to your side. Is that clear?" She asked sternly, and the three soul reapers grinned back at her.

"Yes ma'am!" The three exclaimed in unison.

-End- So what do you all think about the new concept? I know it's a bit risky portraying the characters the way I did, but I want the future of this story to remain uncertain even to myself as to how things will end up. Furthermore, Genryusai Yamamoto is still dead obviously, but his sister just isn't aware. Another thing is that there are only a few dozen rogues, and of their underground rebellion, there are only five generals, of which the other two will be revealed in later chapters. As for the Shinigami and the Lucifer, the weapons will have abilities that warrant the persecution of their weilders. Finally, as of currently, while I am planning a pairing later on, it will be a very minor subplot, and will have absolutely nothing to do with Ichigo, so if you're looking to read up on Ichiruki or Ichihime, I'm through shipping either. Anyway, if you are finding yourself enraged with my latest idea, or the lack of work on my other ideas, I apologize, but it's time my writing changed, and this is where it will start. Oh, one last thing, the translation of Yamamoto's shikai release command is Harvest all souls, Shinigami, also as in a few prior fics i started, i made reference to sanban kaihou, the literal translation is simply third release.

Disclaimer: Bleach is not my work. I only own the OCs, some basic abilities, tools, and various terms I will use throughout the entirety of this fic. Rights of the original canon belong to Tite Kubo


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Rescue Fails**

Ichigo didn't sleep that night. His thoughts dwelled less and less on his situation though as the hours began to pass slowly, and would drift to more pleasant thoughts. Thoughts of his family, thoughts of his friends back in the world of the living. Orihime who had gone to the same university as Uryu and now worked as a nurse in one of his hospitals, and Chad who went on to teach self-defense classes for children. He thought of Tatski, and how she'd insult him for being weak if she would see him there. Finally, his thoughts drifted to his mother. While he had been told the situation was merely a formality to put the public at ease, he couldn't help but feel scared in the thought that he felt as though he would soon be missing from the world as well.

When morning came and saw to Ichigo's third visitor, he wasn't thrilled by the company. "Ichigo, why didn't you hollowfy last night?" It was Hirako Shinji. "I know full-well that you could have easily walked out of Tokyo... Why did you let yourself get caught?" He asked angrily.

Ichigo gave a lifeless glance over his shoulder. "Did you ever stop to consider that maybe just maybe the stress caused me to make an error in judgment?" He asked coldly. "Sure I could have hollowfied, I could have ended up seeing Sui Feng's surprise attack, and you're right, I could have left Tokyo alone last night... But, you, your sidekick, the other captains last night, and even Rukia and Renji, all of you... Would be dead, dying, or scarred for life... I just couldn't prove you all right." He continued bitterly.

Shinji was taken aback. He had expected Ichigo to have some ulterior motive in mind, not for this. "Well, this is certainly an interesting development, but you can forget using such a stance to gain sympathy into influencing us to spare you your powers. You just said it yourself, you could have walked out of there with quite a bit of bloodshed." He continued.

"Shinji, could you not?" Ichigo asked, and Shinji flinched.

"Yes, I could, but you and I are different. True I might have been able to walk out of there myself if I had been in your shoes but regardless, I'm not on trial here, you are." Shinji retorted.

"On trial." Ichigo repeated as he stood up before facing Shinji properly. "Can I inquire as to what crime I committed that started all of this?" He asked angrily.

Shinji was unnerved. Sure many many months had passed since the last time he had conversed with Ichigo, but the man's reasoning and deductions were a lot sharper than in the past. No longer was he capable of getting under Ichigo's skin, and perhaps Ichigo knew it. He turned to leave but stopped himself short. "You should know... Byakuya and Jushiro are doing what they can to plead your case... I doubt it will serve much good, but there's always that." He uttered before leaving the tower.

Meanwhile, in the Soul Society copy on the other side of the shipping liner, John, Nami, and Vector were being seen off by every last rogue in their order. Among the crowd many nervous whispers were uttered, but no one spoke up. While it was true that they would gain a serious advantage over the other shinigami should the three succeed, there was also the insurmountable task of the mission itself looming over the crowd. The only one that wasn't apprehensive was John. It wasn't that he was scared or brave, he knew what needed to be done to help his brethren, and he was sure he'd set aside his own feelings and emotions to get things done.

The three approached Yamamoto as she stood by a full-scale replica of the senkaimon. "Before you three step through this gate you should know something... Though we have been hunted down due to us being a threat to them, do not assume that any of the captains are weak. Trust me, my brother will have trained them to exceed limitations." She warned before the gate opened in response to her reiatsu. "Finally, I'd like to wish you all a much needed "good-luck", kami knows you'll need it." She continued dismally, and with a fierce determination in their eyes, the three stepped through the senkaimon and into the dongai precipice world.

The three walked along in silence, each one nervous about the task ahead of them. Back in their Soul Society clone, it was one thing to think about the job and act brave, but now it was more real to them, now, they could very well be marching to their own deaths. John shook the thoughts from his head. "Guys, when we arrive, it won't take long before we'll be deemed as enemies. Activate your bankai and second release as I activate my transcendence, and show no mercy." He warned them as they kept moving.

"So what do you think he's like, this Kurosaki Ichigo?" Vector asked just as a light came into view further ahead.

"Dunno, but we'll find out before too long." John replied as they kept moving, but before they entered the light, John came to a sudden stop.

"What's wrong?" Nami asked and John pulled their equipment out of his pockets.

"We'll use these two now, but remember that this gives us just over twenty-four hours before it wears off. The other we'll use once we know we have their attention." John replied before channeling his spiritual power into two of their tools, and a second following the three were bathed in a pale green light. "Let's go." He finished, and with just a nod, the three stepped into the light, and into a forest in western Rukongai.

"Is this right? Shouldn't there be shinigami around, and wouldn't there be something of a city?" Vector asked, and Nami rolled her eyes.

"General Yamamoto specifically chose this place as our destination." Nami replied in exasperation. "She thought it more strategic that we move in stealthily and..." She trailed off when she felt John raising his spiritual signature.

"Ichigo's powers could be sealed at any time, we don't have the luxury of taking a more tactical approach." John uttered irritably, but a second later a grin surfaced as he lowered his signature. "Oh yeah, they're not very strong, probably unseated officers, but we have three heading our way. No doubt they're wondering why powerless souls would generate a signature." He uttered before pulling out the cloth. "All it takes is a simple wipe across your forehead, and remember, we don't want to kill the first ones before they raise the alarm." He continued while wiping his forehead with the shroud of mortality.

"Wait, couldn't we have done this stealthily either way, why fight them when we could easily sneak past all of them and then walk right out of here with Ichigo?" Nami asked, and John flashed her a grin.

"Because where would the fun be in all of that?" He asked before three shinigami appeared before them. "And right on time." He uttered as he turned to face the new arrivals.

"Oh, it's just a few shinigami taking a stroll through the forest." One of the shinigami told his partners, and Nami gave John a nasty glare. "Boy you three had us slightly concerned that there was a powerful soul unregistered in the databanks. What division are you three from?" He asked with a grin.

John stepped forward. "I serve under Kagame Yamamoto, Supreme General of our order of hunted soul reapers, and we've come to raise hell." He stated proudly while brandishing his hand scythe.

The three shinigami exchanged confused glances before focusing back on the three. "Um, what was that?" The shinigami asked nervously while drawing his zanpakuto.

"I said, raise hell the world-over, Lucifer!" John shouted, and once more the scythe grew much larger until it was a two-handed weapon. "We're going to play a little game now, it's called hide and seek, and basically your job will be to track us down and eliminate us before we start dropping you bastard shinigami like you're mere flies. Any questions?" He asked with a sinister smirk.

The three shinigami exchanged glances once more while the remaining two drew their zanpakutos. "We are not afraid of ryoka like yourselves, now surrender immediately, and you might just keep your... What is that anyway, it looks nothing like any zanpakuto out there." The shinigami replied as he and his partners held their ground.

"Well you're right, this isn't technically a zanpakuto, but you'll find it's similar enough to one." John replied while Nami drew her zanpakuto while Vector made his soul-piercer materialize. "Now, it's come to my attention that this game will be a lot more fun if we have more players, so what we're going to do is kill one of you, the other two will run back to your Seireitei place and tell your captains about our presence... Any questions yet?" He asked with a wicked smirk still plastered on his face.

The three shinigami again exchanged concerned glances, but before they could turn back, Vector had already run one through with his spear. "Ah, but, that's not fair we should have taken a vote to see who got to kill the one." Nami protested.

"Well kill one of the other two, we only really need just one to raise the alarm." John retorted with a grin before blocking an attack from one of the remaining shinigami while the third took flight. "Better hurry though, if this one keeps attacking me I'll drop him like a bad habit." He joked as he blocked attack after attack.

"Right right, give me a second." Nami replied before stepping in while John resealed his reaper blade. "You, shinigami, you are unseated are you not? Do you honestly feel confident about facing a captain-class shinigami, well?" She asked sweetly as she effortlessly defended against all of her enemy's attacks.

"Captain-class or not, I can not allow you to wage war on the Soul Society!" The shinigami shouted back as he swung sideways at Nami who merely jumped over the blade.

"We don't plan to wage war on the Soul Society, just you bastards." John spoke up as he watched the two go at it. He watched the match for a few more minutes before he was finally bored. "Alright, Nami, I know you're having fun, but wrap it up. We are on a schedule after all." He stated calmly as he leaned up against a tree.

"If I knew we would just be standing around watching her play with her new action figure, I would have waited a little longer before breaking mine." Vector uttered with a smirk and light chuckle.

"Hmm, joke all you want, but I think that last one was a little quicker than expected. We split now, until this time tomorrow, or until we reach Ichigo Kurosaki, we are all three on our own. Now move out!" John exclaimed just as Nami cut the last shinigami down.

John's partners each gave a nod before the three bolted in different directions. "If memory serves me correctly, the Seireitei is very massive, and will take some time to navigate. Though if they were going to seal his powers away it would probably be done in facilities controlled by the second division." Nami called out telepathically as the west gate came into view.

"I'm on it!" Vector thought back as he diverted his course while homing in on residual energies left over by Sui Feng.

"Ugh, looks like I'm going to be last to enter the city. Guys do what you can to push through." John thought to the others when he came to a stop as he was cut off by several unseated officers. "So, it looks like you all are a little better organized than we originally thought... Impressive." He stated with a bow while pulling his hand scythe out.

"Cease hostilities immediately and surrender peacefully." One of the shinigami uttered irritably.

John gave a low whistle. "Or what, you'll engage me in battle? Bring it on." He uttered with a grin. Looking past the group of shinigami, he could just barely see the southern gate. "That's my entrance." He thought before putting his scythe up in an offensive stance. "Raise hell the world-over, Lucifer!" He called out, and a subtle wave of power flowed forth from within him as his scythe changed yet again.

"Careful, he has a shikai, and judging by that haori, however different, it is likely he has a bankai." One of the shinigami uttered to her partners.

"Oh trust me, you don't have what it takes to push me to transcendence, but you're more than welcome to try." John replied smugly.

"I respectfully disagree ma'am, I don't feel anything of a reiatsu coming off this guy. I'd bet his shikai is just barely managed." Another shinigami spoke up, but before anyone could argue their own thoughts on the matter, the poor shinigami was already dispersing into reishi particles after John brought his scythe down faster than any of his enemies could see.

"You should have known better than to assume your enemy is weak... Always always always over-estimate your opponent's abilities." John replied with very little emotion in his voice and eyes. "Anyone else want to get gutsy?" He asked after the rest of the shinigami added distance between them and him.

As the group of shinigami continued to hold their ground while wondering how they'd manage against the ryoka, they all felt more and more confident when they began to feel the rapidly approaching reiatsu of not just a seated officer, but a lieutenant at that. "I'll take you on." It was Izuru Kira, and his Wabisuke was already in its shikai.

"Well now, figured I'd have a little more time for warm-ups before the premiere players got involved. Nevertheless, I'm glad for the chance to see how you seconds-in-command fight." John stated with a bow.

"You come here, and already six good people are dead, and you treat this as some kind of game!?" Kira shouted before rushing John.

John scowled as he blocked the first three attacks before his eyes widened as he jumped back to avoid the rest of the attacks in the series. "My Lucifer... It's gotten a lot heavier... Though to answer your outraged question, there exists no good people among your order... Ichigo Kurosaki's imprisonment is proof enough of that!" He growled as he brought his hand up to his forehead. "I sure hope I was right about this." He thought, and he swiped his hand downward and to his relief a white mask appeared over his face. There were no other distinguishing characteristics, but the drastic increase in the ryoka's reiatsu was unnerving for the lieutenant.

Kira wasn't backing down though. "Even if your power soars beyond that of the other captains, it won't matter if you can't lift your weapon to fight." He uttered as he gave John a bored look.

John looked down at his Lucifer. "It's true, it's like ten times heavier now." He thought. "I'll have to end this quickly." He decided as he narrowed his eyes on his adversary.

"You mentioned Kurosaki Ichigo's imprisonment, just how do you know about it, and why is it any of your concern?" Kira asked as the two began to walk sideways.

"Kurosaki Ichigo has been a subject of our observation now for quite a few months. We were using very subtle kidous as you call them to slowly guide his path toward our Soul Society, but when more shinigami showed up than expected, we had little choice but to let him go." John explained, two voices overlapping as he spoke each word.

"John, what are you doing telling him about-" Nami's thoughts were interrupted by Vector's.

"Let him go, if he didn't have a good idea for his opponent he wouldn't mention it." Vector thought as he blocked an attack from Danzomaru before jumping high into the air. "Great beasts of old, sear the fields, freeze the peaks, crash the waves, and strike the skies, terrors ancient and deadly, make your presence known to all, give me power making the sun rise and fall, Leviathan!" He called out, and with a massive rush of spiritual power, he brought a glowing spear down with a beam trailing from the handle, and with a massive explosion he reduced the gate guardian to ashes.

"What was that!?" Kira uttered as he and John jerked their heads to the north.

"Vector... Be thankful he decided to use his first release already. It's incredibly deadly yeah, but it has a cool-down effect. For at least two hours he won't be capable of utilizing either of his releases. Your gate guard must have given him more trouble than we originally expected." John explained calmly.

"That guard was a good man that defended the Seireitei from intruders... Your friend just killed him." Kira grunted angrily.

"And if you want less and less deaths you will release Ichigo!" John shouted angrily.

"Why do you even care! Ichigo's circumstances are irrelevant to you!" Kira shouted.

"Ichigo's circumstances are identical to what mine once were." John replied with a glare. "I once thought... I am too dangerous for all my friends and family, despite being raised alongside them as a prodigious soul guard, despite how I had grown to care for and love every one of them... But then I realized the truth... They didn't care about me specifically, I was merely a tool to them, and once my usefullness had run its course I would be just as disposable as a broken hammer... I decided then that if they would demand I lay down my life, I would make it my personal mission to avoid such circumstances for others... That's why I'm here, to punish you all for turning your backs on your ally... Then that's also not even taking into consideration your prison referred to as the nest of maggots... How many shinigami were ruined and thrown in there, how many people's lives were ruined because your organization is corrupt with fear of strength!?" He shouted, his spiritual signature rising with every word.

Kira considered John's words for a moment before a glare surfaced on his face. "Regardless, do you honestly believe those unseated officers had any say in such matters, or Danzomaru!?" He shouted angrily.

"I don't, and honestly I had no real problem with them, they were just unfortunately in the way, but... People like you..." John paused and Kira flinched. "You certainly could have voiced an opinion." He uttered, but before he could take a step forward to begin his assault, his eyes widened when a voice met his ears.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo called out before unleashing a black wave of reiryoku against the ryoka forcing the soul guard back.

"Ichigo Kurosaki!?" John uttered in sheer confusion.

"Did you just say Ichigo Kurosaki?" Vector asked mentally. "As in he's there with you? So we succeeded already?" He asked as he held his ground in a secluded alley while he waited for the timer of his soul-piercer to tick away.

"No... He's not supposed to be released, and I didn't peg him to be one who would escape on his own power... Damn, we didn't plan for them releasing him." John replied mentally as he grimaced at the situation, his eyes glued to the mask on Ichigo's face.

"I must thank you... Had you not come starting problems I might have been completely crippled in terms of power, but you guys proved I'm still needed." Ichigo explained as he gripped the long slender form of Zangetsu even tighter before he was joined by Kuchiki Rukia and Abari Renji.

"Heh, imagine that, we come in to rescue you, and succeed the opposite way we expected, talk about your failing success." John uttered as he shook his head.

"Give it up, you are hopelessly outnumbered!" Renji exclaimed as he drew Zabimaru while Rukia drew Sode no Shirayuki.

"Ah, while I wanted to go with theatrics and keep you all entertained with Lucifer's abilities in its ascendance, I think certain adjustments must be made to my battle strategy." John replied with his eyes held closed.

"Kira, if he invokes a bankai, you make it impossible to lift, we'll handle the rest." Rukia whispered and Kira nodded.

"Transcendence!" John called out while swinging his scythe down into the dirt. A great crimson flame erupted from a large gash in the ground and it enveloped the scythe while wrenching it from John's hands. It then spun through the air while the flames intensified. Finally just as the flames were raging they suddenly dispersed dropping two scythes half the size of the former that John caught in either hand. "Master of the demonic, Lucifer." John uttered lowly while his eyes went from a dark gold color to a burning red.

"Impressive... His reiatsu is damn near off the charts." Ichigo thought as he scowled at John while the ryoka's mask shattered, but instead of the strength of the reiatsu diminishing if only slightly, the shinigami were utterly shocked that his power continued to grow.

"As I am a good sport I will explain as much of my transcendence as I can before we begin. First and foremost, it is the very reason why I too was classified as being too dangerous to exist." John uttered, and Ichigo flinched inwardly. "Though onto more specific information, these blades tend to generate more and more spiritual power especially in the presence of other souls. The stronger the soul, the more effective. You should also know, that with one of its abilities, I can open a gate to the Hell Dimension and subsequently sentence a soul, regardless of its actions, to hell. Finally, while it's not exactly a simple feat, my Lucifer while transcended, can execute any object with a soul... That includes your zanpakutos." He explained.

"Lies! There's no way a zanpakuto like yours would still exist!" Renji shouted in defiance.

"Wrong, the last time Lucifer surfaced was back before methods of reaper-blade destruction had been devised. It takes about fifty-thousand years to reappear, but that's besides the point. The point is, I was outlawed because it isn't certain that any soul guard could stand against me should I decide to take control... Not that I ever would, but they are right, I very well could." John explained before connecting the two scythes together by their handles. "Now then, will it be one at a time, or will I have to drop all four of you? My only way out of here is through your senkaimon, and unfortunately for you..." He paused as he crouched low to ground in a battle-stance. "You're all in the way, and sadly, Ichigo, you are no longer a feasible option for us." He finished as he prepared to face the shinigami.

-2- end. I know many of you were probably expecting a "rescue Ichigo" mission to last a few chapters at least, and i know it was my initial plan, but after thinking on it, Soul Society being attacked would kind of make Ichigo's strength needed again, and it's not so much about protecting Soul Society as much as helping Rukia and Renji that's why Ichigo is confronting John. Also if anyone thinks his reaper-blade is over powered, that's kind of the point behind why he was originally on the run. Finally, I don't want to post on future ideas concerning this, but the Hell Dimension will be a locale I will take the story to, just I won't say who's going there. Finally, there will be captains getting involved in the next chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, or its original characters and concepts, all rights to Tite Kubo.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Hell**

"Damn it damn it damn it!" Nami shouted as she raced to John's side. "John you can't use the Hell Gate, you promised!" She thought out to him.

"Drastic situations require flexible reactions. I know I promised cause it freaks you out, but things are different, and already I feel the rest of their captains speeding in my direction!" John thought back as he blocked Ichigo's blade. "I don't have much choice!" He shouted before bringing his scythe around. Ichigo blocked the first attack, but had to dodge the follow up swing from the other end of the now two-headed scythe, but as soon as he evaded the attack, John split the scythe in two once more to continue fighting.

"The versitility of his zanpakuto makes him a difficult and dangerous opponent... He reminds me a lot of Ikkaku." Ichigo thought as he blocked a few more swings.

Meanwhile, Renji had invoked his own bankai, and was preparing to use its signature ability. "Alright Ichigo, you better remember how to fight alongside me." He thought as his body tensed up. "Orochio!" He exclaimed before the blade in his right hand changed. "I might get just one shot, I'll have to make it count!" He thought before rushing in.

John clashed his right scythe against Ichigo's Zangetsu before blindly dodging Renji's Zabimaru. "Close, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades." John retorted before bringing around his other scyther, but Renji simply smirked.

"Soo Zabimaru, Zaga Teppo!" Renji shouted, and while normally he would rather have waited until he had pierced John to use the ability, he was hoping John was within close enough range to get hit.

John nearly dodge the attack, and when the smoke cleared, his left arm was littered with lacerations. "Well now, I might have to take better care not to get hit by that again." John uttered as he glared down at his arm, but when he looked up he scowled at the complete absence of all enemies. "What is this..." He uttered lowly, his breath turning to mist as it left his mouth. Without warning, he watched in shock as a white wall sped toward him. On instinct, he took the sight as an attack, and narrowly evaded by jumping back. "What was that!?" He shouted angrily.

"That was the activation of my bankai, Hakka no Togame." Rukia's voice echoed forth. "It will be the very last thing you experience." She continued coldly.

John scowled in the direction Rukia's voice was coming from. "Lady, stronger soul guards than you have died trying!" He shouted as he kept glaring. "Now, you all have been utilizing your abilities, so it's about time I use one of mine! Soul corruption!" He called out before swinging his scythe around, and a dark red wave of spiritual power plowed forth, the ice melting as it closed in on Rukia.

Though before Rukia took the attack, the red wave slammed into a wall of cherry blossom petals. "Ryoka, you will find that those foolish enough to attack the Soul Society are those foolish enough to throw their lives away." It was Kuchiki Byakuya.

"Hmm, Byakuya Kuchiki, captain of the sixth division right? You're the bearer of Senbonzakura, my colleague was once a big fan of yours." John spoke out with a bow while hiding his frustration. "He's sharp, I can't destroy his reaper blade if it's not completely whole." He thought irritably before having to dodge six bars of golden light. "Whoa that was close." He uttered as he looked on at his enemies. What once was four adversaries were now nine, and three were draped in white haoris. "Great, three captains, and I'm guess those two over there are lieutenants as well." He thought as his eyes drifted from Byakuya to Hirako Shinji to Hitsugaya Toshiro, and then there was also Hinamori Momo and Matsumoto Rangiku.

"Well now this is certainly an interesting development." Shinji spoke up. "Boy, would that red haori be your symbol of captaincy?" He asked with a grin.

"Shinji Hirako, I know well that you like to rely on the power of your Sakanade, so I'll give you this warning once, if you draw it, I'll kill it." John warned as he began to focus his power in Lucifer.

"We'll just have to see about that won't we." Shinji replied with a grin as he drew his zanpakuto.

"Well, I warned you." John uttered as he closed his eyes, but when he opened them, a masked Shinji was right in front of his eyes. "Good move... If it were against someone else... Soul corruption!" He shouted while Shinji was drawing back his zanpakuto for an attack, but instead brought it down to block the red wave of spiritual power.

A horrendous explosion rocked the battlefield, and while the dust was settling, Shinji watched in stunned horror as his Sakanade began to rust away before crumbling into dust. "He had said he would kill it but... I didn't think he was actually serious." He uttered as he narrowed his eyes on John. "What the hell are you?" He asked angrily.

"I am the greatest terror any of you will ever know!" John exclaimed as he took to the skies. "Now as much as it pains me to do this, the mission is a failure anyway, and quite frankly I would feel more comfortable fighting a battle with better odds of victory, and thus I must take action." He continued as he continued to rise upward.

"Captain, we must stop him!" Rangiku shouted as she launched herself up at John.

"Rangiku no!" Toshiro called out, but it was too late.

"By the power of the demon king, I condemn you to hell!" John shouted as he swung both scythes downward, and with a glaring red light, a massive hell gate appeared just behind him. "Feel honored, you are the first people to push me this far in decades, and now we see how things turn out... It's off to hell we go." He uttered as the gate began to open.

"Damn it!" Nami called out just as she appeared on the battlefield. "John, what have you done!?" She called out.

All across the battlefield a powerful gust of wind began to pick up, and as it intensified, the shinigami could feel their bodies getting pulled harder and harder off of the ground, and in one horrific instant, every soul reaper in the vicinity was dragged into the hell gate. Vector had watched everything from a distance. "J-John?" He called out mentally, but his thoughts were all that filled his mind. "Nami?" He called out again, silence. A creeping paranoia began to set in, and he quickly reached up to his headset. "Contacting General Yamamoto, and all rogues listening on all frequencies, I need immediate backup, I repeat, send assistance at once!" He spoke quickly into the headset.

Yamamoto had been anxiously monitoring the mission growing more and more agitated after each error she saw John make finally ending with him dragging everyone in his area to hell. "That damn idiot!" Yamamoto barked at her monitor.

Off to the side, another shinigami in a red haori perked her head up. "Madam General, I'm picking up a transmission from Vector, he's exhausted his allowance for release, and he's as far as I can tell, all alone in the Seireitei... He's requesting backup." The woman stated quickly.

"Tell him he's on his... Wait... With at least three of the captains out of the picture, and five of the lieutenants and Ichigo out of the picture... Perhaps now would be the time to go on the offensive. Ten captains remaining... Though, losing Nami and the idiot to the Hell Dimension for who knows how long is a bit of a downer to the morale... What to do, go in risking everything, or do we wait and ascertain whether the others can get free?" Yamamoto asked before chewing on her thumbnail.

"Madam, if I may, Vector might not be very trustworthy, much like General Blake, but he is a good man with great power... Can we really afford to abandon the successor of either John or Nami?" The other general asked.

"Hmm, perhaps not... Still, we must not come to this decision lightly. Either one poses dire consequences." Yamamoto replied.

"Sounds to me like the choice is obvious enough." It was another general, and he looked more amused than concerned. "We only have a limited number of allies, trustworthy or not, we aren't to be as our hunters are, are we?" He asked with a grin.

Yamamoto glared back at the general before her expression softened. "I suppose not. Very well, assemble our forces, and prepare the gate." She ordered.

"Alright! Yuki, you coming?" The second general asked as he stood up.

"Yeah, it's about time we take the battle to them!" Yuki exclaimed as she jumped up.

"Wait, Sora, I have a more important job for you." Yamamoto stated abruptly.

"What is it mom?" Sora asked obediently.

"I want you to meet with the quincies, and I want you to get hollow bait from them. The distraction will be greatly needed." Yamamoto replied with a grin, and a smirk appeared on her son's face.

"Whatever you say mom." Sora replied excitedly.

"Yes, whatever I say indeed, and I say the shinigami need to die." Yamamoto thought as she turned back to her monitor. "Soon... Very soon." She uttered.

In Hell, John and the others started falling as soon as they were free of the gate, but while John intended to land before continuing the fight, Byakuya had other plans, and used his reiryoku to launch himself at the soul guard. John didn't see the attack coming from behind, and was hit hard causing him to drop his scythe. "No!" John shouted as he reached out for Lucifer, but Shinji was quick to follow up after Byakuya's attack by slamming John with a hard kick that launched the soul guard deeper into hell.

Shinji chose that moment to switch his focus to Nami, but Byakuya had been angered by the fact that John had nearly destroyed Rukia's Sode no Shirayuki, and he wanted to share his anger with John. Rukia immediately picked up on this and went to aid her brother. "I have to make it, we have no idea what that man is capable of." She thought as she forced herself to move faster.

Nami was in a bad spot though, moving faster than she ever had to before just to block the vicious assault coming from all angles. Finally Momo, feeling brave clashed swords with her enemy, and the two were separated from the rest when the entire lot of soul reapers descended through large crevices in the ground.

The first to land was Nami and Momo, and they kept fighting fiercely. "I don't know who you people are or why you attacked us, but you won't get away with this!" Momo shouted angrily before locking swords with the woman in front of her.

"Are you sure about that, I have some pretty nasty magic tricks up my sleeves." Nami replied confidently. She knew that the girl she was fighting had a higher reiryoku than her, but despite that, Nami knew she would take the upper and as soon as the girl activated either of her shikai or bankai if she had one. Though her confidence was shattered a moment later when two more shinigami touched ground nearby.

"Momo!" Renji called out forcing Nami to reconsider fighting at closer distances.

"Renji, Ichigo! Where's everyone else?" Momo asked as she kept Nami in her gaze.

"Who knows!" Nami barked. "You're forgetting that you should worry about yourself more!" She continued as she held up her zanpakuto.

"Oh no you don't! Hajike, Tobiume!" Momo called out and her zanpakuto instantly changed shape growing three prongs off the shaft of the blade.

Nami was less than impressed as she put on a smirk. "Got you, Hajike, Tobiume!" Nami called out, forcing her opponents' eyes to widen while her zanpakuto changed in the same way as Momo's.

"N-no way, you also bear Tobiume?" Momo asked weakly.

"Get back!" Ichigo shouted as he raced past Momo.

"Tch, so Ichigo will willingly fight someone like himself!?" Nami grunted as she resealed her zanpakuto before extending the blade forward in her right hand while bringing her left arm to her right bicep. "Bankai!" She cried while stopping Ichigo in his tracks when she exploded with power.

"What the!?" Ichigo grunted as his eyes widened when he found himself staring at Nami dressed identically to him holding his bankai.

"Tensa Zangetsu." Nami uttered with a confident grin.

"Ichigo I'm getting a very bad feeling about this." Renji uttered as he stepped next to his old friend.

"In case you three haven't figured it out, my zanpakuto has no name, no identity, but it makes up for that by mimicking the zanpakutos of those around me. Seventy years ago your bastard head captain declared it a fractured zanpakuto and ordered it be destroyed and my powers sealed... That was when I knew, that the organization I once called family was beyond evil, that I would live on and eventually seek justice, and once I find John and we make it back to the Seireitei, I will finally get my revenge against him." Nami explained bitterly as she prepared to face off against the three shinigami.

Ichigo gave the girl a sympathetic look before reverting his zanpakuto to its shikai. "You were betrayed too, by those you would have given your life to help... I can relate." Ichigo uttered as he looked sideways at Renji and Momo. "However, your vengeance won't be hapening... Yamamoto died a few years ago during an invasion by quincies... You won't ever fight him now." He continued as he took a step forward.

"Ichigo what are you-" Renji cut himself off when Ichigo shot him a glare.

"You were misunderstood by the shinigami once upon a time... I get it, but there are a lot of innocent shinigami that weren't even around seventy years ago. Do you really want to prove the ones that were, that they were right?" Ichigo asked as he held out his hand for Nami.

Nami gritted her teeth while tears stung her eyes. "You're lying!" She shouted while tears fell from her eyes. "He can't be dead!" She cried as she dropped to her knees while her zanpakuto reverted to sealed form. "I have to be the one to kill him, he can't be gone yet!" She shouted before letting her tears go. "Grandpa... He can't be killed by anyone but me." She cried out as she doubled over in agony.

"Of course, I thought I recognized her." Renji uttered, and Ichigo glanced back.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I had heard there was a tragic incident concerning the son of Yamamoto going insane at the loss of his daughter, but I had assumed it was a death by hollow scenario." Momo spoke up.

"Yeah, but regardless of what really happened, we cannot tolerate your actions." Renji uttered as he took a step forward before stopping when Ichigo pointed Zangetsu at his throat. "Ichigo what are you doing!?" He shouted as he took a step back.

"I'm stopping you from making a mistake... Aside from her being wrongly persecuted for whatever reason, her friend got us in here, if we want out we'll likely need his help, and what do you think he would do if we find him and tell him we killed this girl?" Ichigo asked irritably.

"What happens if we run into our allies, and they assume we're helping her?" Renji asked, and Ichigo shot him a glare.

"Regardless of your captain's choice to release me, you and Rukia are the only allies I have in the Soul Society." Ichigo replied, and Momo tightened her grip on her Tobiume. "Look, we're in hell, and we'll likely need all the help we can get anyway." He added on.

Renji grunted in disapproval but ultimately sealed Zabimaru. "Fine, where should we start looking for them?" He asked in an annoyed tone of voice.

"If I may..." Nami spoke up with a sniff. "I saw when we were first falling in here that your friends knocked Lucifer from John's hand. That zanpakuto is what helps him pass through the gate, and he dropped it. We need to find it, it's what John will be trying to do." She continued before her eyes suddenly shot open as wide as they could while simultaneously flooding with tears. "Oh kami, he's unarmed down here! We have to find him quickly, if he dies, Lucifer dies with him, and then we'll be stuck here!" She exclaimed in horror.

"Alright, just calm down, we can't help anyone if we are panic-stricken." Ichigo replied. "Though to be honest, it looks a lot different in here than the last time." He admitted with a scowl as he finally took in the scenery for the first time.

"Well we better start moving, if we get confronted by any souls we'll have trouble on our hands." Momo stated nervously.

In a much deeper level of Hell, Shinji landed hard on squishy ground and watched with a scowl while the ryoka fell further down with Byakuya and Rukia falling right behind him. "Well, they're certainly in deep trouble." He thought while Toshiro, Rangiku, and Kira landed not far off. "Hey, have any of you seen Momo?" He called out to the others.

"I think she landed somewhere above us." Toshiro replied worriedly as he looked to the sky above them.

"It's okay Captain, she's with Renji and Ichigo after all, she's probably safer with them than us." Rangiku spoke up.

"Is there something you're trying to say?" Shinji asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"N-not at all Captain Hirako." Rangiku replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Well she'd be right. Momo is currently with two captain-class shinigami, one of which has hollowfication and a zanpakuto." Kira pointed out. "Between us we have a captain that doesn't have hollowfication, and the one that does is missing his zanpakuto." He added on. "Momo will be fine... Now Captain and Lieutenant Kuchiki... That's another matter entirely... Who knows what's up that other ryoka's sleeve, or what's down there." He finished as he looked over the edge.

"I see what you mean..." Toshiro replied as he tensed at the thought of what was below them. "The further below, the more dangerous things become." He thought as he grimaced inwardly.

"So what do we do now? I don't want to spend the rest of our lives in hell." Rangiku stated dismally.

"We won't Rangiku, we're going to get out of here, we just need to figure out how." Toshiro replied.

"I think I might have an idea about that." Shinji uttered, and all eyes were on him. "That scythe he used to bring us here, it was dropped when Byakuya got the bastard from behind. We find that, and then we hunt the girl down. If we find her, she becomes a hostage. Then we find him, and it's either free us, or both of them die." He continued with a grin.

"How can we make sure it happens that way? The plan is weak at best!" Toshiro barked.

"I'm well aware of that, but unfortunately it seems it may be the only plan we have." Shinji replied more seriously. "Now, don't you think it's time we started this scavenger hunt?" He asked, and with reluctant nods all around the group started moving.

Down in the lowest level, John landed just before Byakuya and Rukia touched ground. "You stupid bastard, do you have any idea what you've done!?" John shouted as he walked up to punch Byakuya in the face before finding a sword tip at his throat.

"You, how do we get out of here, certainly you had a contingency plan set in place." Byakuya stated angrily.

John held his hands up before cracking a grin and chuckling. "What the hell makes you think I'd tell you?" He asked, and Rukia's icy sword was also at his throat.

"That if you don't we'll take it as us being stuck down here, and if that's the case we don't have to tolerate your life." Rukia replied angrily. "Now please tell us." She continued as she lowered her sword.

John let out a heavy sigh. "There is no way now, it's impossible." He uttered as he took a few steps away.

"Is it because you dropped your zanpakuto?" Byakuya asked as he sheathed his zanpakuto while Rukia's bankai finally started wearing off.

"Yeah, the Lucifer landed on one of the higher levels, and we unfortunately are at the bottom." John replied as he looked up. "Can't make the gate work without Lucifer." He continued.

"If we saw to it that you were reunited with it, would you open the gate for us as well?" Rukia asked politely. "Should you agree it might be within our grace to forgive your actions if only long enough to let you slip back into the shadows." She added on, and John nearly broke his neck as his eyes widened before he narrowed them into a glare.

"Why would I ever believe such a lie?" John asked and again Byakuya's sword was at John's throat.

"Do not insult my sister nor her kindness." Byakuya growled.

"Fine, say you are telling the truth... The only way I would possibly agree to this is only if Nami is there when I open the gate, and that you let us both go." John stated firmly.

"Brother?" Rukia asked as she sheathed her zanpakuto.

"Very well, we will see how far we will go, but if I should suspect treachery at any point, I will take it as you resolving to leave us here, and I will kill you myself. Is that clear?" Byakuya asked with a stoney glare.

"Yes, yeah fine, but in the meantime, we have company!" John exclaimed as he pointed at a few large skeletal monsters looming over them. The two shinigami drew their zanpakutos again, but John grabbed their arms before dragging them back. "Don't bother, they can't be beaten, not here anyway. We need to get out of here now!" He exclaimed as he ran off in the direction of a cliff with a large crack in the face. "That will take us to the next level." He continued quickly, and the two shinigami decided they had little choice but to trust the only expert on hell, and they followed closely after him.

Back in the Seireitei, Vector was engaging Madarame Ikkaku while Zaraki Kenpachi stood by watching with a bored expression. "Tell me again why I'm sitting here." Kenpachi grunted irritably.

"Well Captain, you threw rock while Ikkaku threw paper, three times in a row." Yumichika replied.

"Damn it, these guys wouldn't be as cocky if the timer was up." Vector thought as he knocked Hozukimaru away before its shikai could pierce his chest.

"Come on now, surely you can do better than this to defeat one of the gate guards." Ikkaku spoke up while thrusting his zanpakuto rapidly at Vector's face.

"Well I must say I'm having a hard time figuring you out, do you want to win or do you want a challenge!?" Vector shouted as he knocked Hozukimaru away once more, and Ikkaku jumped back as a grin spread over his face.

"A challenge you say?" Ikkaku asked, and Vector smirked.

"Oh yeah, you see, I have something like what you just did with your sword, but unlike you guys, I have to wait to use it again, and actually I should be good to go in just fifteen minutes, give-or-take. If you can wait fifteen minutes, I'll give you a battle like you've never experienced." Vector explained. "Ugh, he's not going to-" He thoughts were interrupted when Ikkaku spoke up.

"Fine, it's just fifteen minutes right? Go ahead, take your time." Ikkaku replied with a smirk.

Meanwhile, out in the forests of west Rukongai, a larger senkaimon than normal opened up, and Yamamoto led a small army of roughly fifty shinigami out of the Dongai Precipice World. "Well well well, the Soul Society... It's really been too long. Listen up! I want twenty of you to head with Yuki and attack the south gate, twenty more will wait for Sora and attack the east gate once he arrives with the bait, the rest of you will search out and assist Vector. Move out!" Yamamoto called out, and obediently the small army began to divide into three groups. "Get ready brother, I will reduce all creation to ashes, just you wait." She thought with an evil grin.

-3-end. There you have it, the third chapter of the story. Obviously when it comes to Nami's zanpakuto, it can copy any shikai and bankai, but more than that it imparts her with knowledge into the abilities of whichever zanpakuto she's using, but she can't freely use another's shikai or bankai if that person is not nearby. In other words take Sui Feng, being as how they are in two different dimensions, she can't use Sui Feng's abilities, but as long as she's around Ichigo Momo and Renji she can use any one of their powers. And yes, I went there making her a granddaughter of Yamamoto. It's significant to a plot point I have planned for later, in the chapter when I explain the origins of the rogues that are important in the fic. Finally, I will be explaining the powers of Yuki's and Sora's zanpakutos in the next chapter, but as a little hint I will say this much, their names are hints to their powers. By the way when it comes to Renji's new/Rukia's bankais I admittedly don't know a lot about them, so forgive me if I portrayed that wrong.

disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters and plot points all rights to Tite Kubo


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